Shifting to Rail: Safer, Smarter, Greener

We have all heard about the recent COP26 in Glasgow, an avalanche of media articles and reviews. Beyond the expected debates on climate change and some of the disappointments, it was so pleasing to notice that many leaders went to Glasgow by train.

This is just great and totally legitimate to promote rail – whether freight or passenger – as an obvious solution to cut carbon emissions. In the meantime, I feel concerned by the environmental impact of our industrial activities to produce the technologies that are necessary to rail transportation.

This week Wabtec issued its 2021 Sustainability Report. For 150 years, Wabtec and all our historical companies have looked for ways to improve safety and make a substantial positive impact on people and the planet.

Beyond our measured and measurable commitments as a company, you will find impactful examples of initiatives all around the world to reduce our GHG emissions, energy and water consumption. One is in Piossasco, Italy where we installed a water re-circulation system for climatic chambers that reduced groundwater withdrawal by 20,000 cubic meters. Another is our significantly increased use of solar panels in the Netherlands, India, Germany, Poland and Mexico. We have many others in most of the 50 countries where we operate.

We are also measuring how we can promote and accelerate our innovations that contribute directly to our customers’ environmental performance.

As President of Wabtec Transit, I am obviously thrilled to see the products we imagined and designed to improve not only weight, performance, efficiency but also to bring a real positive impact for passengers.

Wabtec Green Friction is a good example. This technology is reducing up to 90 percent of fine particle emissions and is currently in operational testing phase on trains run by the Paris operator RATP.  

With Green Air, we launched the industry’s first air conditioning system to use natural refrigerant. This has a strong impact on carbon footprint and recently scooped an award at the Siemens supplier conference.

And no discussion is complete without mentioning people and employees. We want to create a work environment that respects our own commitment to the highest social principles. First and foremost, safety, but equality, diversity and inclusion are also at the forefront. We just joined the “Open for Business Coalition” as a further commitment to drive positive changes in our society around the world.

We also never forget that we all live and work close to communities that do not have the same chances as us. We support the involvement of our employees in charity and solidarity initiatives within their communities. We also believe than partnering with our local, regional or national ecosystems is the best way to progress as an employer, as a team, as a business.

Making our products safer, smarter and greener is central to our business success. We decided a few years ago to develop a shift to green strategy. Today, we can be proud of our achievements, but we also know that this is not enough. Our commitment is to continuously improve for the coming generations.

Lilian Leroux - President, Wabtec Transit